Footwear including an incline adjuster

Abstract

A sole structure may include chambers and a transfer channel containing an electrorheological fluid. Electrodes may be positioned to create, in response to a voltage across the electrodes, an electrical field in at least a portion of the electrorheological fluid in the transfer channel. The sole structure may further include a controller including a processor and memory. At least one of the processor and memory may store instructions executable by the processor to perform operations that include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-inhibiting levels at which flow of the electrorheological fluid the through the transfer channel is blocked, and that further include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-enabling levels permitting flow of the electrorheological fluid through the transfer channel.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An article comprising:
 an incline adjuster comprising a main body, a variable-volume lateral chamber extending outward on a lateral side of the main body, and a variable-volume medial chamber extending outward on a medial side of the main body, and wherein the incline adjuster further comprises: 
 a transfer channel defined in a central portion of the main body and extending between the lateral chamber and the medial chamber; 
 an electrorheological fluid filling the lateral chamber, the transfer channel, and the medial chamber; 
 a metal sheet first electrode embedded in the central portion and exposed to the electrorheological fluid along the transfer channel; 
 a metal sheet second electrode embedded in the central portion in a position opposite the first electrode and exposed to the electrorheological fluid along the transfer channel; and 
 a plate located above the incline adjuster and arranged so that downward force on the plate toward the incline adjuster does not compress a region of the central portion containing the first and second electrodes. 
 
     
     
       2. The article of  claim 1 , wherein
 an external portion of the incline adjuster corresponding to the lateral chamber is configured expand outward in response to flow of the electrorheological fluid from the transfer channel into the lateral chamber, and 
 an external portion of the incline adjuster corresponding to the medial chamber is configured expand outward in response to flow of the electrorheological fluid from the transfer channel into the medial chamber. 
 
     
     
       3. The article of  claim 1 , wherein
 a path of the transfer channel extends along a nonlinear transfer channel path between the lateral chamber and the medial chamber, and 
 the first electrode and the second electrode each has a shape corresponding to a shape of the transfer channel path. 
 
     
     
       4. The article of  claim 3 , wherein
 a portion of the transfer channel path over which both the first electrode and the second electrode extend has a length L and an average width W, and 
 a ratio L/W is at least 50. 
 
     
     
       5. The article of  claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the second electrode each has side edges embedded in the central portion and not exposed to the electrorheological fluid. 
     
     
       6. The article of  claim 5 , wherein
 the first electrode and the second electrode each include a series of slots formed along the side edges, and 
 each of the slots is filled with a solid material forming the central portion. 
 
     
     
       7. The article of  claim 1 , wherein
 the lateral chamber comprises a flexible lateral chamber wall extending upward from a top lateral side of the main body, and 
 the medial chamber comprises a flexible medial chamber wall extending upward from a top medial side of the main body. 
 
     
     
       8. The article of  claim 7 , wherein
 the lateral chamber wall comprises a lateral chamber wall central section and a lateral chamber wall side section surrounding the lateral chamber wall central section, and 
 the lateral chamber wall side section comprises at least one fold defining a bellows shape of the lateral chamber. 
 
     
     
       9. The article of  claim 7 , wherein
 the medial chamber wall comprises a medial chamber wall central section and a medial chamber wall side section surrounding the medial chamber wall central section, and 
 the medial chamber wall side section comprises at least one fold defining a bellows shape of the medial chamber. 
 
     
     
       10. The article of  claim 9 , wherein
 the lateral chamber wall comprises a lateral chamber wall central section and a lateral chamber wall side section surrounding the lateral chamber wall central section, and 
 the lateral chamber wall side section comprises at least one fold defining a bellows shape of the lateral chamber. 
 
     
     
       11. The article of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the lateral chamber and the medial chamber has an exterior shape that includes a depression. 
     
     
       12. The article of  claim 1 , wherein
 the article is an article of footwear that comprises a sole structure, and 
 the incline adjuster forms a part of a forefoot portion of the sole structure. 
 
     
     
       13. The article of  claim 12 , wherein the plate rests on the medial chamber and the lateral chamber, and is positioned so that downward force on the plate in a direction toward the incline adjuster is transferred to the medial chamber and the lateral chamber without being transferred to the central portion. 
     
     
       14. The article of  claim 12 , wherein
 the plate extends over the medial chamber, the central portion, and the lateral chamber. 
 
     
     
       15. An article comprising:
 an incline adjuster comprising a main body, a variable-volume first chamber extending upward from a top first side of the main body, and a variable-volume second chamber extending upward from a top second side of the main body, and wherein 
 the top first side of the main body is one of a top medial and a top lateral side of the main body and the top second side is the other of the top medial and the top lateral side of the main body, and 
 the incline adjuster further comprises: 
 a transfer channel defined in a central portion of the main body and extending between the first chamber and the second chamber; 
 an electrorheological fluid filling the first chamber, the transfer channel, and the second chamber; 
 a first electrode embedded in the central portion and exposed to the electrorheological fluid along the transfer channel; and 
 a second electrode embedded in the central portion in a position opposite the first electrode and exposed to the electrorheological fluid along the transfer channel, and wherein 
 the first chamber comprises a flexible first chamber wall extending upward from the top first side of the main body, 
 the first chamber wall comprises a first chamber wall central section and a first chamber wall side section surrounding the first chamber wall central section, 
 the first chamber wall side section comprises at least one fold defining a bellows shape of the first chamber, and 
 the first chamber wall central section comprises an exterior shape that includes a depression. 
 
     
     
       16. The article of  claim 15 , wherein
 the second chamber comprises a flexible second chamber wall extending upward from the top second side of the main body, 
 the second chamber wall comprises a second chamber wall central section and a second chamber wall side section surrounding the second chamber wall central section, and 
 the second chamber wall side section comprises at least one fold defining a bellows shape of the second chamber. 
 
     
     
       17. The article of  claim 16 , wherein the second chamber has an exterior shape that includes a depression. 
     
     
       18. The article of  claim 15 , wherein
 the article is an article of footwear that comprises a sole structure, and 
 the incline adjuster forms a part of a forefoot portion of the sole structure. 
 
     
     
       19. The article of  claim 18 , wherein a plate is located above the incline adjuster, rests on the first chamber and the second chamber, and is positioned so that downward force on the plate in a direction of the incline adjuster is transferred to the first chamber and the second chamber without being transferred to the central portion. 
     
     
       20. The article of  claim 18 , wherein
 a plate is located above the incline adjuster and extends over the first chamber, the central portion, and the second chamber, and 
 the plate and incline adjuster are arranged so that downward force on the plate toward the incline adjuster does not compress a region of the central portion containing the first and second electrodes.